ICMR develops portable Nipah rapid detection kit with 100% accuracy

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed a portable test kit for detecting Nipah virus cases with 100 per cent accuracy, which can provide results within 1- 2 hours.

According to Dr Naveen Kumar, Director, ICMR-NIV, Pune, "Based on amplification of viral gene without the need for a specialised machine at the field level. It's 100 per cent sensitive and specific."

This test can provide results in "1-2 hours". The Nipah virus is a Zoonotic virus that primarily spreads through fruit bats, and the virus has a 50 per cent mortality rate, making it one of the most dangerous viral diseases.

The cost of the test is 250 rupees, and the name of this kit is Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of Nipah virus.

Meanwhile, Monoclonal antibody development is underway in collaboration with Zydus Health Sciences, Ahmedabad and Translational Health Sciences Technology Institute, Faridabad. The ICMR is also working on an indigenous vaccine for the Nipah virus.

The National Institute of Virology (NIV) is the only lab in the country that cultures the Nipah virus.

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis.

The symptoms of the Nipah virus are fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, sore throat, dizziness, altered consciousness, and Atypical pneumonia.

Outbreaks of Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) have been reported in Kerala, with the most recent one occurring in 2023 in the Kozhikode district.